In the hip-hop world, where the stakes are always high, rappers often go at each other’s necks by releasing diss tracks and getting involved in career-ending rapper feuds. One such example is the infamous feud between Eminem and MGK, where MGK’s career took a significant hit before he made a comeback. Despite the risks, this hasn’t stopped artists like Kendrick Lamar and Drake. The Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake rivalry, simmering for over a decade, has cemented itself as one of the greatest hip-hop beefs of all time.
Although it could be hard to believe that Drake and Kendrick used to be friends originally, it now seems that they will never be able to bury the hatchet given the shots that they took against each other in their series of diss tracks.
Here’s a complete timeline of the feud between Drake and Kendrick:
The Friendship
Back in the day, Kendrick Lamar and Drake used to appreciate each other. In his track, “Determined (Ft. Ash Riser)”, a bonus track from his 2009 mixtape The Kendrick Lamar EP, Kendrick said Drake is better and is skeptical of himself.
“Man, me and my girl split the bucket of KFC, she listenin’ to Drake and all I can say is damn these n-words that much better than me, baby, I don’t think this is meant to be,” Lamar raps.
Lamar met Drake for the first time at his performance at the Sound Academy in Toronto on June 16, 2011, and spoke about it with the XXL magazine.
In the interview, Lamar said “That’s a real good dude. He got a real genuine soul. We clicked immediately.”
Lamar would later release his debut album Section.80 on July 2, 2011. He said that after the release of his album, Drake reached out to him to collaborate on his second album, Take Care.
Kendrick appeared as a guest artist on the song, “Buried Alive Interlude” and shared how he felt about Drake and was proven wrong.
“Hit me on the cellular, thought he gonna sell me a false word like the rappers I know,” Kendrick raps.
Drake would continue to support Lamar by bringing him and A$AP Rocky on his Club Paradise Tour 2012.
Drake was featured on Kendrick’s second studio album, good kid, m.A.A.d city, and said in a tweet on October 22, 2012, that the experience was incredible and he was honored to be a part of it.
Funktasy
The Beginning
In an interview with The Breakfast Club, American rapper DMX said “I don’t like anything about Drake,” and would “like to beat him up,” to which Kendrick said the comment was hilarious, and his entire tour bus died laughing in an interview with Sirius XM, reported by YouTuber, What’s the dirt.
After this, Drake and Lamar were seen for the last time together on A$AP Rocky’s track “F-king Problems.”
As their place in the industry solidified, Lamar and Drake would continue to see a rise in their careers during the following years. The two won numerous awards and continued to deliver hits.
The Control Verse
When “Control” by Big Sean was released on August 14, 2013, things took a pivotal turn. Lamar’s verse on that song showed his competitiveness as he called out various artists.
“Pusha T, Meek Millz, A$AP Rocky, Drake, Big Sean, Jay Electron’, Tyler, Mac Miller.
I got love for you all, but I’m tryna murder you n-words,” Lamar raps.
In an interview with Billboard, Drake was not pleased and responded by saying that Kendrick was not murdering him on any platforms and that the verse sounded to him as ambitious.
On Sept 14, 2013, Drake released “The Language,” in which he took shots at Lamar:
“Who is this n-word you heard about? Someone just talking that bullshit, man, someone just gave you the run-around,” Drake raps.
Lamar fired back by dropping “Subliminal” during a BET Awards cypher weeks later.
The Feud
The feud escalated in the later months when Drake commented during a Vibe cover story interview that with “The Language,” Drake stood his ground while acknowledging Lamar’s talent.
Despite the tension, there were still moments of respect between the two. During the OVO Fest in 2014, Drake praised Lamar and tension had seemingly eased between the two.
However, the peace was short-lived. Lamar fired shots at Drake on Jay Rock’s single “Pay for It,” referencing Drake’s claim of being “the kid with the motor mouth” on “The Language.” He also mentioned that those lines weren’t a “warning shot,” indicating that the feud was far from over.
“Been dissectin’ your motormouth, til I break down the engine, this ain’t no warning shot, this is a relevant henchman,” Lamar raps.
The years that followed saw jabs and cryptic references exchanged between the two artists. Kendrick referenced ghostwriters on “King Kunta,” which some speculated was aimed at Drake considering the ghostwriter allegations in 2015, meanwhile, reflected on their relationship on tracks like “Used to” and “4 PM in the Caribbean.”
Despite rumours of a full-blown beef, there were moments when it seemed like the feud might fizzle out. However, Lamar spoke in an interview with Rolling Stone about Drake using ghostwriters.
“I cannot call myself the best rapper if I have a ghostwriter,” Lamar said, and Kendrick’s diss on The Heart Part 4 kept fans speculating.
“Tiptoein around my name, n-word, you lame, and when I get at you homies, Don’t tell me you was just playing,” Lamar raps on “The Heart Part 4.”
As We Look Back On The Backstory Of This Feud, One Thing Is Clear…
The rivalry between Drake and Kendrick Lamar is a testament to the competitive spirit of hip-hop. While the two artists may never fully reconcile, their beef continues to captivate fans and keep the rap world at its peak. Who knows what the future holds for these two titans of the game?
Follow Playlist
